28 Nov 2006

  
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Sickening

Via Boing Boing comes links to three videos from Iraq:

The first, soldiers video tape young boys as they desperately run after their vehicle in the hope the soldier will throw them a bottle of water.

The second, an amped up gang of knuckle-dragging, mouth-breathing tankers harrass some "looters," shoot their car up, and then crush it with their ~$3 million, 70 ton M1 Abrams Battle Tank. The guy was a taxi driver. Ok, a wood-looting taxi driver. Seems like an appropriate response.

The third, a soldier plays soccer with a group of Iraqi children.

While I understand why this third video was posted, in an attempt to somehow balance the ugliness and just downright disgusting and disturbing behavior in the previous two, I ain't buying it. Congratulations, you mingled with the locals. You tried to make nice, to build bridges.

To paraphrase Chris Rock, "You're SUPPOSED to take care of the people!"

The other day, a friend of mine emailed around a photo of a soldier who became a comfort blanket to an Iraqi girl who had lost her family. She couldn't be comforted by anyone else. It's a feelgood Sunday night movie on Lifetime waiting to happen. The gist of the email was that because this soldier had become a source of comfort to this girl, he needed to get a bunch of media coverage, because he certainly would if he had done something "bad." Uh, alright.

Anyone that wants to take comfort in these little nuggets of humanity amongst the ever-downward spiral into soul-crushing violence and civil war swirling in Iraq, have at it. I don't have the stomach for it. You know what? They shouldn't be there in the first place. And to try to point to these moments as some sort of justification for why we're there, and the "good" we're doing, well, it's fucking horseshit. And don't go telling me I'm not supporting the troops because I don't appreciate them playing soccer with the kiddies. They shouldn't be there, and they shouldn't be dying there.


 
 
andrew to: rant, war
Comments (6)
 
 

Comments

  

Can anyone even remember what they're suppose to be doing over there? Protecting people, property or something else? Don't get me started on wartime propaganda . . . it makes me want to barf.

Bin Laden? Anyone . . . anyone?

Carl 29 Nov 2006

The more I think about the tank video, in particular, the angrier I get. Here's these guys who are supposed to be out protecting the public, with this supposed larger mission of "spreading democracy," providing stability, sending a message that the US is here to bring order to the chaos.

Instead, they decide to become judge and jury on the street with a tank, and play out some childish monster truck fantasy with this guy's car. Because that's how "civilized" society works, right? Don't like what's going on? No need for the rule of law when you've got an M1 tank. Just fuck shit up and move on to the next group of people to terrorize.

Yep. You're terrorists. GOVERNMENT-SPONSORED TERRORISTS.

Hoo Rah.

andrew 29 Nov 2006

The tank video is from Feb 2003. not that time heals all wounds, but it is misleading to post the same video over and over again, and claim there is a massive amount of bad stuff going on. Is it bad? Yes. Should we keep pointing out things from 5 years ago? Probably not.

I posted about this on my blog. http://geekswithblogs.net/gaijin42/archive/2006/11/29/video_tank_crush_iraq_taxi_frontline_2003.aspx

Jason

Jason Coyne 29 Nov 2006

Even though that tank video is old, it's still valid in a general response to "what the heck are we supposed to be doing over there?" this is an amnesiac society, and if nothing else that video is a reminder that this war has been a fools playground ever since it began.

throw in the blanket? 29 Nov 2006

Jason: The posting of this video on Boing Boing was the first I'd personally seen it.

If a tank crushes an Iraqi's car and no one video tapes it, does it make a sound?

The fact that the tank video occurred in 2003 makes it even worse, in my opinion. Maybe it's a bunch of dickheads on their third tour who've been stuck in an Abrams for days on end, pissing and farting on each other in 120° heat. But no, they probably just got there and wanted to see what that baby could do.

(Side note: 2006-2003 = 5? Howzat?) Yeah, you're right. Bush, Cheney, Rummy, Tenet... all that bullshit justifying the invasion of Iraq is ancient history. Why keep talking about it? Let's all go watch CSI:Miami.

andrew 29 Nov 2006

This is just sick. It's the first I've ever seen this video and I too don't give a rat's ass whether it happened 3 years ago or not. That fact actually makes it that much worse, in my view.

You look at this and then listen to the conservative circle jerks on Fox News pumping up the importance of Bush's ultra-vague "war on terror", and I have to swallow my own vomit.

Let's remember why the fuck we are sending American men and women into harm's way: To kill that bastard Bin Laden and his co-horts, not terrorize Iraqi's.
Jesus H. Christ!

This idea of democratization of the Middle East, while bold, is just assanine and is now completely lost.

Where does such a vague strategy end? Egypt? Iran? Pakistan? North Korea? Saudi Arabia?

Seems to me the "War on Terror" should be dropped and replaced with a "New Declaration of Independence".

MarkusArelius 30 Nov 2006

 
 
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